So Michael Adebolajo will spent the rest of his life in prison while Michael Adebowale will spent 45 years inside and be out at 67. The sentencing of the vile butchers of Lee Rigby was a circus which fills me with contempt for (nearly) all concerned.
I exempt from the contempt the family of Lee Rigby. They have every right to express their anger in whatever way they feel.
Outside the court the Nazis of the BNP erected a mock noose. Would they have done so had the killers been white? Had this been a less high profile religion inspired butchering – perhaps of a white killer of an Asian would the sort of folk who normally appear on the Jeremy Kyle show have been marching? I doubt it. We shall turn to the matter of a suitable penalty later but the BNP’s gesture was a populist one which does nothing to make this country a better place.
The defence lawyers, paid for with taxpayer’s cash argued for softer sentences as we should not make martyrs of the killers. As they head back to plus residences in places where this sort of crime is not really an issue I hope they realise the stupidity of their claims. Certain elements of young Britons will become radicalised Islamofascist killers whatever happened in Court today. That is just a sad fact of life in Airstrip One today.
To the dismay of the silly liberal lawyers, the Judge handed down a stiff sentence, albeit to an empty dock as the two killers had tried to attack their guards and had to be dragged from the court screaming Islamofascist messages of hate. No doubt certain left liberals will argue such a stiff sentence is a breach of “human rights.” It is not. When you kill someone and show a complete lack of repentance you lose any right to liberty. Indeed I go further.
You lose the right to life. Amid the circus that was today this was simply a murder case. Where there is no doubt of the verdict in that the killers not only admit the crime but are proud of it and there is clear photographic evidence why should the Judge not be allowed to impose the ultimate sentence?
It will cost taxpayers c£5 million in today’s money to accommodate Adebowale until his release. Adebolajo could well cost us £7 million or more. That is not money well spent. I doubt executing these fellows would radicalise anyone as 99% of British Muslims would regard their crime as vile whatever the sentence. The 1% of Muslims who are apologists for these two will be apologists whatever the sentence.
In this case execution may or may not be a deterrent but it would be fair and it would also be a cost effective way of dealing with two men who have lost any right to life or liberty by virtue of what they have done. This case only strengthens the case for the re-imposition of the death penalty as something a judge can, at his discretion, impose.